Fitzsimmons to be remembered with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction

By BRENT ENGEL

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Cotton Fitzsimmons never forgot his roots, and he’s finally being immortalized for a lifetime of playing and teaching the game he loved so passionately.

The Pike County, Mo., native will be inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of a 16-person class from across the game’s spectrum during ceremonies Saturday in Springfield, Mass.

Fitzsimmons, who was selected for induction by the Hall of Fame’s Contributor Committee, coached for parts of 21 seasons in the NBA with five franchises and compiled a record of 832-775. His 832 victories are the 16th most in NBA history.

He also won two national titles during 11 years as the head coach at Moberly Junior College and spent another three years leading the men’s basketball program at Kansas State before the NBA came calling.

Fitzsimmons coached the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Braves, Kansas City Kings and San Antonio Spurs during his career. Eight of those seasons were in Phoenix, where he arguably had his best years. Not only did he coach the Suns to 341 victories, but also served as a team executive, consultant and broadcaster.

Perhaps the only things equalling his affection for basketball were a love of family and the place where he first bounced the leather.

Carol Lovell of Silex, Mo., is the coach’s only surviving sibling, and says the Hall of Fame honor is a “long time coming, but well-deserved.” She remembers her brother was indomitable, positive and bold, yet remained cordial, warmhearted and humble.

“I always said Cotton was just my brother who happened to be a NBA coach,” she said. “He never met a stranger and always thanked the fans who asked for his autograph.”

Lovell’s husband, John, said his brother-in-law’s demeanor was a direct result of his Bowling Green upbringing.

“It didn’t matter how successful he became,” John Lovell said. “He treated the guys who washed his car and the golf course workers the same as he treated the ‘celebrities’ (with whom) he came in contact.”

Fitzsimmons had talent, but perspective was a key part of his success. Defeat could not dominate him. A competitive streak defined every aspect of life.

“His glass was always half full,” Carol Lovell said.

Fitzsimmons was born in Hannibal on Oct. 7, 1931, and grew up in Bowling Green. A crop of what he later called “very fluffy and wavy” white-blond hair led Bowling Green classmates to give Lowell the nickname “Cotton.”

At Bowling Green High School, the hard-working 5-foot-7 cager twice led his teams to the state basketball tournament and followed that with success at Hannibal-LaGrange College.

Wayne and Jack Freeman were early mentors, and Gene Hall – a first cousin of John Lovell who would go on to a storied collegiate coaching and administrative career – was one of Fitzsimmons’ closest friends.

Life was far from easy for the Fitzsimmons siblings. All worked as they grew up and sacrificed for each other. The future coach found a father figure and major influence in longtime Bowling Green educator and coach James A. Wilson.

“With the help of Coach Wilson, his mind was made up early in his life that basketball was to be his profession,” Carol Lovell said.

The recognition by the Hall of Fame “supports what we as a family know – he was a great contributor to the game of basketball,” John Lovell said.

Though he never won a professional championship, Fitzsimmons twice was named NBA Coach of the Year and made 12 playoff appearances with four teams. Among his accolades, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

Fitzsimmons kept in contact with many of those with whom he had grown up and returned to Missouri often for family visits, class reunions, fishing or golf outings, or to run basketball camps for young players.

True to their uncle’s emphasis on teamwork, John and Carol Lovell’s daughters – Nancy, Lisa, Joni and Vonda – answered questions for this article with one voice. They fondly remember Cotton’s unfailing optimism.

“He always had an outlook that if you woke up and could see the sky, then life was good,” the sisters offered. “He always said, ‘You haven’t lived if you haven’t been fired in the NBA,’ and that seemed to be his motto in life in general. He never let life get him down.”

After being diagnosed with cancer, Cotton remained upbeat. He died at age 72 on July 24, 2004, leaving his wife, JoAnn, and son, Gary.

Presenters will be retired NBA player Charles Barkley, former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo and Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

Carol Lovell says her brother would be very honored, but probably just as happy dribbling a ball around his hometown — with a caveat to reflect his good-natured orneriness, of course.

“He would love a pickup game in the park in Bowling Green, providing he could make the rules and keep score,” she said.